A swimmer, surfer, sailor, and kite-surfer, Ken Kalbacher "loved the beach and the ocean almost as much as he loved his family and friends," his family wrote. He liked to stay in shape, and could often be seen cycling, taking long rides to Montauk, one of his favorite places.
Another was New Orleans, where he volunteered at the Jazz Festival for over a decade.
Mr. Kalbacher, who was a contractor, had Alzheimer's disease. He died on Nov. 2 at the Southampton Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing at the age of 66.
Kenneth Walter Kalbacher was born in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, on Sept. 7, 1959, to John Frederick Kalbacher and the former Frances Dougherty. The family spent summers in East Hampton and moved here full time in 1967. He attended Most Holy Trinity elementary school and East Hampton High School, where he was a standout athlete and co-captained the football team. After graduating in 1977, he attended college for three years, then took a year off to work and surf in Hawaii.
He graduated from Stetson University in Florida in 1982, going on to teach English in Rio de Janeiro. Returning to the States, he worked briefly in Newport, R.I., before moving to Sag Harbor and starting a successful contracting business, continuing until he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2017.
He is survived by his former wife, Sara Nightingale, and their two children, Christopher Kalbacher of Nashville and Katherine Kalbacher of Sag Harbor. Also surviving are his mother, Frances Kalbacher of East Hampton, and four siblings, John and Thomas Kalbacher of East Hampton, Karen Stevens of Newton, Mass., and Coleen Kalbacher of Santa Monica, Calif. His father, John Kalbacher, died before him.
A celebration of his life was held at the Yardley and Pino Funeral Home in East Hampton on Nov. 8.
Donations in his memory have been suggested to the East Hampton Food Pantry at easthamptonfoodpantry.org, or the Alzheimer's Association's Long Island Chapter at alz.org/longisland.
